


Memento Mori

by Alexandria (heartfullofelves)



Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Afterlife, Death, Gen, Tumblr Prompt, Xena dies a lot for a mortal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 08:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13760622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfullofelves/pseuds/Alexandria
Summary: Xena dies alone.





	Memento Mori

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous requested #8 on [this prompt list of mine](http://fucktheg0ds.tumblr.com/post/167573246432). I didn’t mean to go this dark – oops!

We all die alone, that’s what so many people say. But sometimes Xena doesn’t. Sometimes she has Gabrielle there with her. Sometimes, despite the pain, she doesn’t mind so much.

But sometimes she does mind. When she’s got a purpose, Death tears her away from it. When people ask why she does what she does, she tells them it’s for redemption. It’s a hell of a purpose, and whenever she dies, that wastes her time. She doesn’t deserve to die; she deserves to live for eternity, forever serving justice in the hopes of atoning for her past sins.

Self-loathing. She sinks into that black hole of despair every so often, and it’s only Gabrielle who can pull her out of it. Gabrielle…

Where _is_ Gabrielle? She’s not here. Xena’s alone this time, and her many questions seem to echo all around her. Where’s Gabrielle? Why is she alone? What happened?

The universe is always taking from her. It takes everything from her and gives her pain in return. Some days, she knows she deserves nothing but that. The rest of the time, she wishes the universe would leave her alone, give her a break. The dark part of her suggests that death _is_ a break. If she could laugh, she would. Trust her to think of that.

It strikes her that dying alone this time, without Gabrielle by her side, is part of her divine punishment. Damn it all, she could use some of Gabrielle’s positivity right now.

She’s not sure where she’ll end up this time, but if past experiences have taught her anything, it won’t be the Elysian Fields. Most likely, she’ll be handed some impossible task and when she completes it she’ll be given life again. _Then_ , maybe, she’ll see Gabrielle.

She doesn’t know what she wants more – to spend the rest of time free of pain, or to hold Gabrielle in her arms again. But as a new otherworld materialises around her, she knows it’s out of her hands.


End file.
